Sacrifice (HIATUS)
by Lea Valdez
Summary: [FINNICK ODAIR x OC] One Hunger Games was enough to drive me mad, leave me with enough awful memories for a lifetime, leave enough scars on my body. But the Third Quarter Quell announcement ruined the little sense of security I had left after walking out of the bloody arena. I had to go back in. This time, with people I knew and loved.
1. Epigraph

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**Sacrifice || Epigraph**

_"Once was enough._

_Too many lives,_

_Too much blood on my hands._

_I returned broken and scarred,_

_Relieved only knowing that I would never have to go back._

_But then I did,_

_And all of hell came crashing down."_

\- Coral Reeves

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**This is an epigraph. The story begins with the first chapter (next chapter).**


	2. Chapter One

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**Sacrifice || One **

'_On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victors._'

Trembling. I was trembling. That was the only way to describe the uncontrollable spasms rolling through me. I felt a hand on my back, a distant voice trying to soothe me, but I was already too lost in my own head to return to reality. Without a moment's hesitation, I pushed everything and everyone out of my way. It was too suffocating.

Bursting through the door, I ran straight to the docks. It was dark out and the fishermen were reeling in the day's haul. Without thinking, I jumped right into the water. The cold hit me in waves. The trembling became worse, but the chills running through me cleared my head. It was shallow where I was standing, so I waded deeper into the ocean.

My breaths came out little white puffs and I could already feel the fever that would inevitably set in after tonight, but I didn't care. There were to be three slips in the female reaping ball. One with the name of a mentally unstable girl, one with the name of an old lady and one with my own name. The odds were infinitely stacked against my favour.

The deeper I had gotten, the more I wanted to just curl up and let the ocean take me. Water had always provided me with a sense of security. Anywhere with water was a place I could survive, but at that moment, I wished nothing more than to drown. It would have been easier that way, but my family would have had to pay for my actions.

Eventually, I had reached such a depth, that only my head was above the water and I was alone with just the calm tide and glowing moon. I floated for a while. It was as if my thoughts were so furious, flitting through my head, that they didn't exist altogether. It was an unnerving sort of emptiness in my mind; as if I knew, the moment I slowed down, weeded out a single thought in the hurricane, it would all come crashing down.

So I focused on the one thing that had never let me down. Water. I concentrated intently on the push and pull, how my body moved as one with it. How the water allowed me and everything on me to float about. How the water reflected the moon which seemed just out of reach.

'You're here too?' A voice interrupted my silent observations, startling me momentarily. I swivelled around, hands out, ready to defend myself. But I wouldn't be able to defeat the man standing before me in a million lifetimes, especially in water.

'Mhmm,' I hummed in reply. Finnick chuckled mirthlessly and came to stand by my side, gazing up at the above. We remained silent, trapped in our own hells. The night seemed so calm, so unlike the pounding in my chest or the cacophony of thoughts in my head. I could barely imagine going back into that arena. The arena where I had lost my childhood, my sanity, my _humanity_. The only thought that could ground me on nights I woke screaming, thinking about all the kids I had killed, was that I would never have to go back. But it seemed that it was all false assurance as I was stepping into that arena once again.

'You're going back,' I croaked, finally. I had just realised that whatever chance I had of going back, he had three times the chance. He was the only male tribute left in District 4. While I was worrying over my chances, he was probably already thinking about everything else to do with the Hunger Games. Without looking at me, he grunted.

'I guess so.'

'I'm sorry,' I blurted out. Sorry because we had to live in this damned place. Sorry because the Capitol was out for us and we were defenceless. Sorry because we had been made meaningless promises. Sorry because we had to return to the very place that was the stuff of our nightmares. The horrors of our every waking hour. The source of every single fear that haunted us.

Finnick to a deep breath and faced me.

'We should head back before sun-up,' he said simply. I nodded following him back to the docks. He leapt up onto the deck and offered me a hand, but I ignored it. Something I had learnt through my years was to deny things that you desperately wanted. To wait until the desire calmed so you wouldn't go overboard. At that very moment, I craved a human touch; warmth and consolation.

So I lifted myself up, shivering in my soaked clothes.

The time for the dreaded Reaping was nearing.

* * *

**Hi!**

**So, I reread the Hunger Games and I **_**just had to**_** write this ff. Like it wouldn't get off my mind. I was devastated over Finnick, and this is my own small way of consoling myself and the fandom. **

**Short chapters, but I'm planning on more than what I usually write. Maybe like 50+ chaps?**

**Probs another unfinished work tho, so read at your own caution. **

**Luv yall,**

**Lea Valdez**


	3. Chapter Two

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Two **

As I hauled myself onto the deck, I noticed Finnick staring at me intently.

'What is it?' I asked. But I already had a solid idea about what he was about to ask me.

'Coral…' he started, 'I know this is selfish and you have no reason to do this willingly, but I have to at least ask you, or I won't be able to live with myself.' I nodded, a sign for him to proceed. 'If either Mags or Annie is chosen, will you take their place?' Even though I had already known he was going to ask me, it still hit me like a boulder.

I kept my eyes glued to the ground, refusing to look at him. We remained quiet for a while. Somewhere in my subconscious, I had already made up my mind, because as soon as I opened my mouth, the words came pouring out.

'Of course,' I whispered. 'Of course, but this is not for you. It's for them. I know all too well what losing someone you love in those games feels like.' Although my voice sounded soft in the chilly night, it had jagged edges and poison dripping off it and Finnick felt it. It showed in the way he cringed at my words. He lowered his gaze.

'Thank you,' he said. With that, we both fell silent once more and walked back to the Victor's Village. Finnick and I hadn't ever figured out what it was between us. He and Annie had briefly mentored me through the 67th Hunger Games, but Annie had soon been removed from the mentor program as the first signs of her mental instability had set in. From there, Finnick had been an excellent mentor and had managed to get me through the games.

I had been grateful to him all the way up until I had realised that he had broken a promise, something that I could never forgive. Ever since, it had been cold between us. Sometimes, I pretended nothing ever happened and acted normal. Other times, I just ignored him or only snapped a "yes" or "no" to his questions. At first, right after I had found out the truth, all I felt was an icy wrath. But over eight years, the ice numbed to a heaviness in my chest every time I saw him. In truth, even I didn't know how to feel about him. I had eventually realised that he had his own reasons for his actions. I had come to accept what had happened, but forgiveness was something I would never grant.

As soon as we opened the gates to the village, we parted and went our separate ways. Approaching my extravagant abode, I noticed the lights were all turned off. No doubt Mother, Father, Kai and Kory had cried themselves to sleep. Mother was usually awake by this time though; the early rays of dawn were peeking above the horizon. I tapped lightly on the front door, but no one answered. Instead of bothering my family, I slipped around to the back window, leading to the spare pantry, which I always kept unlocked. There had never been a robbery in the Victor's Village, no one had ever had the guts or stupidity. If a stray animal ever found its way in, I didn't mind. We had too much food in our spare pantry to know what to do with.

Lifting my small form through the window, I landed softly and crept to the door. Opening it, I bumped right into Mother who gave a small squeal. Father leaped in front of her as soon as she did, but relaxed when he noticed it was me. The three of us stood there in silence. I took in their swollen eyes and creased foreheads as they most likely took in my soggy clothes and bloodshot eyes. They didn't question it, they knew better than it.

'You must be cold,' Father whispered, wrapping me in a towel. The two of them led me to the living room to warm up. They always stayed behind me so I couldn't see the silent tears flowing down their faces, but I didn't need to look to know. I, myself, was trying hard to conceal the watering in my eyes. As I sat down on the seat in front of the hearth, my parents enclosed me in a warm embrace.

Once they let go, Mother held me by the shoulders, and I could see how hard she tried to stop crying. How hard she tried to gather up her strength for me.

'Listen,' she said, voice shaking, 'Coral, I'm sorry.' _We all were_.

Before she could continue, I interjected. 'I'm volunteering, so please don't try to stop me.'

'We know,' Father said.

I nodded in gratitude toward him. It would be a lot easier if my parents didn't try to stop me. I would never have been able to raise my hand as a volunteer if I had to watch my parents tremble with tears, trying to stop me. I was about to thank them when I heard the door creak open.

'Coral?' a small voice asked. Kory rubbed her eyes and walked up to me; blanket still clutched in her hand. She was about to climb onto my lap when she noticed I was wet.

'Did you go swimming?' she asked, poking my wet clothes. I nodded, smiling sadly. I picked her up despite the wetness and she nestled into my lap.

'Ewww, I'm gonna be all wet now!' she exclaimed but remained where she was. I laughed a little, placing a kiss on her cheek. She giggled. I looked up to see Kai watching us from the doorway. He stood taller than me now. But the fear that lurked in his eyes was the exact same from the ten-year-old boy's who had to watch his brother and sister enter a bloodbath. I patted the seat beside me, motioning for him to come.

'Do you have to?' he asked, arms crossed and leaning against the doorframe. My answer, which consisted of only silence, was clear enough. He sighed and sat beside me; head buried in his hands.

'Just- just come back alive. Ok?' I put my arms around him and beckoned for my parents to join in.

'Ok.'

* * *

**Hi!**

_**SHOUT OUT TO:**_

_**DeathByBombing**_

_**jaydemackenziee (sorry, the site won't let me put the dot in between)**_

_**for favouriting and reviewing! (^ 3^)**_

**It would absolutely **_**make my day**_** if my readers could leave a like and comment. I'm always looking for feedback to improve my writing, so it would be AMAZING if you could review my work.**

**Hope yo****u guys enjoyed!**

**Luv yall!**

**Lea Valdez**


	4. Chapter Three

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Three**

As the morning passed, Father made me a warm breakfast. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a meal which smelt and tasted of home. Though no one said it, everyone thought of this as my last morning with them. I didn't blame them; _I_ didn't think I'd return alive either. Everyone watched me intently. Although it felt horrible, I didn't tell them. I understood my family, so I let them be, taking their supposed last look of me. I already knew I'd be unrecognisable to them in the following weeks.

Once breakfast was over, Mother led me to my room where she had laid out my clothes. It was a simple white dress. I didn't question it and slipped it on. I wasn't going to wear clothes that the Capitol's wealth had afforded me, to their sickening event. No, I was going to wear clothes made from District 4, my home, to show the wretched Capitol we didn't need them. None of the districts did.

After I had gotten into my outfit, Mother did my hair up as Kory commentated.

'Ooooh,' she cooed, 'that's so pretty! Do it for me! Do it for me!' I laughed. Kory was the only person who could make me laugh even on an accursed day such as the Reaping. Once she was done, she took Kory and left the room to take care of the rest. I took the chance to look in the mirror. I think I looked pretty. Or maybe I didn't. It didn't matter. The long scar that trailed from the left side of my forehead to my left cheek ruined any essence of beauty that had graced my face. I was just lucky I could still see with both eyes.

I was once cute, innocent-looking. A face that people could trust. At least, that's how the kids from the 67th Hunger Games felt before I drowned them.

A shiver ran up my spine thinking about the Hunger Games. The games that I was preparing myself at that moment to return to. Shaking my head and ridding myself of the thought, I made my way to the front door where the rest of my family was waiting. Without a word, I wrapped Mother and Father in a hug. They both whispered an "I love you" before letting go. I then kneeled down to Kory's height. Sweet, little Kory.

'Kordylia Reeves,' I said in a deep, formal voice, 'I will be leaving for a while, so now, it is your responsibility to protect this family.' I straightened my back as well as I could while kneeling and saluted. She giggled and returned a sloppy salute.

'But where are you going?' she asked as she calmed down from the giggling.

'I'm going…' I hesitated. 'I'm going to the Hunger Games.' Kory gasped.

'The one on TV?' she asked. I nodded. Kory frowned, worry filling her small face.

'What's wrong?' I asked as I brushed her hair out of her eyes.

'Everyone dies in the Hunger Games,' she said dejectedly. I forced a smile onto my face to cover up the emotions bubbling underneath.

'I won't,' I told her, kissing her forehead. Kory's reminder of my inevitable death sent a feeling of urgency through me. I stood up and turned to Kai.

'Listen carefully,' I commanded, 'if I don't make it back-'

'You will!'

'_If_ I don't make it back,' I pressed on firmly, 'you're going to take care of everyone. You'll have to move back to our old house. Dad's fish make enough money for food. For clothes and everything else, take everything from this house and trade anything you don't need.'

I suddenly felt a pair of hands latch onto my arm. An instinctive panic jolted through me as I shook them off and reached for the knife that wasn't there. Mother took hold of me, whispering "it's OK" in my ear. After a few moments of jagged breathing and frantically looking around, I finally realised it was the Peacekeepers.

'We'll be escorting you to the Reaping, Ms. Reeves,' one said. I nodded, still a little shaken up. I kissed Kai on the forehead, said one last goodbye to my family and followed the men in white. On the stage, I was met with Mags and Annie. Annie gave me a wisp of a smile, lost in her own world. I approached Mags and pulled her into a hug, she was a wonderful lady. So giving and kind, she didn't deserve any of this. Maybe if I hadn't known them, I wouldn't have volunteered. I would have felt bad for them, sure, but not volunteered int heir place. Mags was old and frail, and Annie's Hunger Games had rendered her mentally unstable, of course, I'd feel bad. But after getting to know them, after experiencing little moments of their lives and giving them a few moments of mine, I couldn't let them go back to the Hunger Games. It would be suicide for them. For me, it was close, but I still had a solid drive that could possibly help me win; my family.

And then there was Finnick, standing on the other side of the stage, alone. Indefinitely returning to the Games with no choice.

Our Capitol escort, Louis Jayne, finally got up on the stage and delivered her stupid speech as she did every year. In all honesty, I absolutely despised her. She was always going on about the latest trend as she escorted the poor children who were planning on how to stay alive. Louis wasn't understanding in the least.

'Now,' she announced, 'time for the Reaping.' She sounded as if she was picking someone out for the lottery. Not a televised death sentence. District 4 had always done the boys first, so she clopped up to the male reaping ball in her god-awful heels. She reached in and took the only slip of paper in the ball. Louis opened it up and delivered the name with a smile as if everyone hadn't already known what it was.

'Finnick Odair!' Finnick walked up and stood by her side.

'And now, the ladies!' Her excited tone disgusted me.

As Louis reached in, the pounding in my ears became almost deafening. She swirled her hand around the three slips of paper for dramatic effect before plucking one up. My eyes followed the paper as she held it up and opened it.

'Annie Cresta!' I felt Mags' hand twitch, ready to fly up, but I held it in place. It was illegal to stop someone from volunteering, but I'd rather take my chances. If more than one person volunteered, their names would be placed in a separate jar and picked from there; the Volunteer Reaping. The number of times your name was placed in the jar depended on your age. Usually, the eighteen-year-olds were chosen, given their names were placed in the ball seven times, but sometimes, the younger ones got picked. However, I would never stand a chance against Mags in the Volunteer Reaping. She was 80, meaning her name would be in there 69 times, whereas mine would only be in there 12 times. I gave Mags the subtlest shake of my head before raising my own hand.

'I volunteer as tribute!' I called out. Finnick caught my eye and nodded once. The crowd erupted into cheers as Finnick and I shook hands.

I wasn't volunteering myself… I was sacrificing myself.

**Herro,  
Hope you liked the chappy. I just rewatched all four movies and I'm **_**bawling**_** so, that's more motivation for me to write. *Just forget that he ever died. T^T***

**\- Lea Valdez**


	5. Chapter Four

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Four **

We were led to the mayor's building, with more hands touching us than necessary. Finnick and I didn't utter a word. Once again, we were trapped in our own little hells. Before they opened the door, I already knew what was behind it. The sunny, plush room that I had bid my goodbyes in eight years ago. It was all coming back to me.

No matter how sunny the room was, it felt like I was being consumed by darkness. Every step became harder to take. Every breath became harder to breathe. Every thought became harder to think as it all set it. Reality finally took hold of me as I realised it was happening. I was going back. This time with people I called friends.

I wondered which of the other victors had been Reaped or Volunteered. Which of my friends I would need to kill in order to survive? As I sat in the room, the Head Peacekeeper burst in. He grabbed my arm and hauled me out of the door.

'Wait!' I cried, flailing in his grasp. 'How about my family. Where's my hour?' I thrashed about and almost escaped his grip a few times, but the dozen or so Peacekeepers following us made it quite hard. We exited through the side of the building so no one even knew were leaving. The last glimpse I caught of the people I loved most was of them peering anxiously at the Justice Building, wondering what was wrong.

'Change of plans,' he muttered before dragging me to the District 4 station. Finnick was already there, glaring at all the Peacekeepers. We both waited obediently, occasionally throwing dirty looks at the white-clad men. To be honest, it would take a nod from Finnick and the two of us could take down all the men in a matter of minutes, but our families would have to take the brunt of the consequences if we did. Also, the two of us also hadn't worked together comfortably in a while.

Finally, the train arrived and the two of us stepped in, followed shortly by Mags, who was to be our mentor. It was more of a symbolic role between the three of us than a practical one. We all sat through an uneasy lunch. Louis kept going on about the latest of Cinna's designs. Apparently, the Girl on Fire had a most desirable stylist whose designs had gone viral all over the Capitol.

'And the gold eyeliner,' Louis gushed, 'it's just glorious!' Her Capitol accent combined with her stupid conversation topic made it very hard for me not to mimic her under my breath. The only thing that stopped me was the thought of the looming presence of the Hunger Games. I quietly ate the soup they had provided us, blocking out most of Louis' jabbering. As I did, I thought I felt something brush against my foot. I ignored it. Again, something touched my foot, a little more urgently this time. Once I determined it wouldn't stop until I addressed it, I looked up to see Finnick glance at me.

As soon as he caught my eyes, he motioned to the door leading out of the dining compartment with his fork before clearing his throat and turning to Louis.

'Excuse me,' he said politely. He stood up and walked out. I gave it a few minutes before I interrupted Louis.

'Yes dear?' Louis asked, her voice strained, obvious she was trying to sound friendly. She apparently didn't enjoy being interrupted in the middle of talking about glitter and cosmetic surgery.

'I don't feel so good,' I mumbled, holding my tummy. Although it was meant to be a ploy to escape from the horrid room, it was true. The food didn't sit well with the anxiety stirring in my stomach. Her facial expression immediately softened, and she put a hand on my back.

'Oh dear, do need any help?' I shook my head and stood up quickly, pretending I needed to throw up. Running to the door, I repeatedly pressed the open button. As soon as it opened, I stepped through and took all of two steps before being pulled to the side.

'We need to talk,' Finnick whispered. I crossed my arms and looked away from him.

'About what?'

'About how to get you out of there alive.' That sent a boiling rage through my every vein. The anger that took hold of me was strong enough to throttle him right then and there, but I held it at bay, just barely though.

'You don't get to do that. Last time I trusted you with a life in the Games, it didn't work out so well,' I said, my voice tight and my words clipped. He sighed, defeated.

'Coral… I'm sorry for everything. But you volunteered for those two, and I owe you for that-'

'Finnick,' I snapped. He looked a little taken aback at my sudden outburst. 'I told you once, and I'll tell you again; it wasn't for you. It was for them. You know very well why I did it, so don't go about owing me something because I won't be taking anything from you, whether it be your protection, your loyalty or any other lie you want to offer. I won't be taking _anything_ from you ever again.' With an air of finality, I walked away from him.

Going straight to my room, I clambered into the bathroom and threw the toilet lid up just in time before hurling my insides out. The acidic taste that burnt my throat and tongue brought tears to my eyes. I vomited until nothing remained in my stomach and I was a shaking, crying lump curled up in the corner of the bathroom.

I rarely had time to let my weaknesses overcome me. There, on the train, with no one watching, I let my vulnerable side out. I let myself cry without holding back. I needed to get it all out. The ride to the Capitol took four days. I wondered if anyone would deem it suspicious if I just buried myself in my room and didn't come out for the remainder of the journey. Maybe four days would be enough to cry out a portion off all the emotions that had been pent up inside of me.

But, of course, the little pocket of time I had right then was a miracle of itself. The little while was a luxury that I could barely afford, whereas four days was a nonsensical amount of time to ask for. So instead of calculating how much longer I had left before I had to get up, wipe the tears away and act normal, I let myself be. After a while, I think I blacked out, because the next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes to the bathroom floor, drenched in sweat and my own puke.

**Haiii!**

**Hope you enjoyed reading! Please leave a like and comment to share the love. **

**Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Have a nice break!**


	6. Chapter Five

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Five **

I soon realised I had woken up because of the knocking at the door. I moaned, trying to stand up, but there was no strength left in my body. I crumpled into the corner as I heard the door open; I must have left it unlocked. I couldn't even get myself to sit up as the footsteps reached the bathroom. As soon as Mags' eyes were upon me, she covered her mouth in shock. She must have heard me crying since her room was right next to mine.

After taking a moment to register the whole situation, she walked up to me and kneeled down. Her gentle fingers wrapped themselves around my arms and sat me up. I was trembling in her hands, but she held onto me so fiercely, I believed I wouldn't be able to fall even if I wanted to. Giving me a moment to adjust to the dizzying sensation of moving, Mags brought me to my feet and supported my weight as she dragged me to the basin. She, herself, wasn't steady, but I could tell even through the haze that she was straining to keep balance. As soon as she let me go, I collapsed against the basin, only just stopping my head from hitting the edge of the sink by putting out my hands.

My eyes only half-opened since the energy it took to open them fully was not in my possession right then. I stared at the stark white colour of the basin as I heard the sound of gushing water ahead of me. Mags tenderly took the water into her hands and cleaned my face. Once most of the barf was washed away, she let me sit down on the edge of the bathroom counter as she used something wet to rub the rest off.

The sweetness and warmth that she radiated as she tended to me only reminded me of my own Mother. How she would do exactly what Mags was doing on nights the trembling had gotten too bad to control. How she would pacify me with not empty words, but with her soothing hands and sincere love. The silence that settled around us was not in the least awkward, instead, it was calming. I nodded off sometime between the soft pats of the wet thing.

A tugging woke me up. Mags was dragging me again, this time, to my bed. As soon as my body hit the soft, plush surface of the mattress covered in layers, I melted right in. The dip in the bed beside me lifted, signaling she was leaving, and I groaned. I needed someone beside me. I was breaking my own rule of denying the things I needed most, but right then, I was in no state to be thinking straight. After a hesitant moment, the bed dipped back down beside me as I felt a small body curl up beside me, stroking my hair. My limp hand forced itself to move until it found a soft, aged one to clutch.

She probably didn't hear it, but as I slipped into my unconsciousness, I whispered words that came from the bottom of my heart. 'Thank you…'

The next time I woke, Mags was gone, and my body was somewhat stronger. I rolled off the bed and peered into the bathroom. An Avox must have cleaned it as there wasn't a pool of vomit beside the toilet and the air didn't reek. I splashed some water on my face before stepping out of the room. The general quiet of the train and darkness indicated that no one else was awake.

I crept into the dining room, hoping there was something left from dinner to sedate the emptiness in my stomach. As the door opened to the compartment, a glow emanated from the room. As I stepped in, Finnick's head whipped around, eyes frantically darting around, trying to recognise my figure. When he realised it was me, he nodded awkwardly and turned back to the screen.

On the television, the highlights of the Reapings were playing. I watched only for a moment before turning to the table. There were a few buns in a basket, but it definitely wasn't enough.

The weakness that pulled down my limbs and the lightness in my head softened me. And the darkness of the night gave off a dream-like quality. Even as I talked, we both knew that the conversation taking place was to be treated as if it never happened later on.

'Is there any food left?' I croaked; my throat dry. Finnick paused the video and turned his head to me.

'Oh, uh, yeah. They saved some for you in the container over there,' he said, pointing to a blue box sitting at the other end of the table. I whispered a thank you and grabbed the box. Inside, there was a bowl of soup and a few rolls accompanied by a bottle of water. I grabbed them and found my way to the couch where Finnick was sitting.

Wordlessly, I sat down beside him, the two of us watching the highlights for a while. In truth, I wasn't processing anything I was watching. I was stuck in my head, thinking endlessly about all the possibilities that the Third Quarter Quell presented. Out of those possibilities, my chances of surviving were slim.

'I'm sorry,' Finnick finally said. He didn't need to explain what he was apologising for me to understand. He was sorry for the exact same reason I was sorry that night we had met in the water. It seemed as if the cover of night broke some sort of barrier between us. Momentarily, I let myself wonder what it would be like to pick up the fragments of our relationship and piece them back together as best I could. It was nice having him as a friend a long time ago. But I shook the thought off. It would be all the more painful if I tried right before we were put in an arena to fight to the death.

'What if we just didn't fight in the arena?' I wondered out loud.

'The Gamemakers would keep jabbing us until someone snapped and a bloodbath began,' he said. I knew he was right, but I wished he wasn't. I longed to just leave the wretched world of oppression and death the Capitol had created and return home. But I couldn't. If I tried, I would have no home to return to.

Yet, I still wished.

* * *

**HI-LO!**

**Almost 2020! So excited! Hope everyone had a nice Christmas and I wish everyone a Happy New Year. **

**Please comment and like! (^ 3^)**

**Luv yall,**

**Lea Valdez**


	7. Chapter Six

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Six **

The next few days were plain. I sat in my room, staring out into nothingness. The morning of our arrival to the Capitol started with Louis frantically squawking about my room. I wanted nothing more than to strangle her for waking me up so early, especially since I only had a few hours of sleep the previous night. But of course, I couldn't do it unless I wanted my family to suffer the consequences. Ever since my life had become entwined with the Capitol, none of the consequences of my actions ever fell on me, it fell on those I loved. If they didn't, I would've gone down with the Capitol a long time ago. I barely cared about what happened to me. I could stand starvation. I could stand whipping. I could stand being beaten black and blue. But I couldn't stand a single scratch on my family.

'Coral,' Louis chimed in her horrible squeal. I rolled around until I fell off the bed and walked around her without a word. My clothes were already laid out for me on top of my dresser. I waved Louis away before stripping down. Checking the time and schedule, I wondered if I could fit in a bath or at least a shower. There wasn't much time, but it may have been my last chance to take a shower ever again.

'Oh, to hell with it,' I whispered. If the Capitol could be so cruel and make me return when the only reassuring promise they made victors was their safety, making them wait a while wouldn't hurt. As I stepped out of the shower and slipped into the green frock prepared for me, I felt the train slowly come to a stop. There was a knock on the door, but I ignored. Only when the person knocked for the fourth time did I get up and answer the door.

I was about to growl an "I'm coming" when I realised it was Mags. She took a moment to look at me then peer into my room. Mags gestured towards me and then pointed at my clothes and hair.

'Oh no, it's okay. I don't need any help,' I replied. She waved her hand dismissively as if it wasn't a fuss at all and sat me down on the edge of my bed. Mags' skilled hand gently combed through my hair before grabbing a hairbrush and straightening out all the knots. I watched in the mirror as she sent me into a calm daydream.

Caspian used to love my hair. Once, it was a bright golden brown. He used to think I was an angel, getting especially excited when Mother did it up in a crown and it seemed like a halo. As we grew older, my hair darkened to a chocolate shade, but he still called me an angel. But in reality, _he _was the angel. The one that could brighten anyone's day; whose laughter sounded like music and hair glowed in the sunlight; who didn't deserve anything that had happened.

'Could you do it in a crown?' I asked Mags. She nodded, smiling. Mags tapped my shoulder when she was done. It looked beautiful. I few stray strands framed my relatively small face. For a fleeting moment, a small semblance of beauty was reflected from me, but it was wiped away almost immediately by the presence of the angry red scar that tainted my face.

I thanked Mags and followed her out of the train.

Every year, we were met with the Capitol citizens that crowded the train, but I never got used to it. The bright colours were even more painful in person. It was hard to even distinguish faces since they were so disgustingly altered. Finnick and I were escorted straight to the new Tribute Centre where we were flocked by our prep teams.

My usual prep team greeted me with gasps as they scolded me for not taking care of myself. I already knew the next few hours would consist of every follicle of hair being ripped off my body. As they got to work, Briancca beamed at me.

'What is it?' I asked, knowing that there was something waiting for me.

'We have a surprise!' she squealed. I was about to ask what it was when the door to my prep room swung open. In stepped the most extravagant man I had ever had the pleasure of meeting. He wore sparkly green pants, a bright blue top and an over-the-top feathered yellow coat.

'Zeus!' I gasped. It felt like the first time in a long while since I had been genuinely happy to meet someone. 'What are you doing here?' Zeus was my original stylist back when I had competed in the 67th Hunger Games. When I had won, he had gone viral and could no longer style for me. I had been attended to by different stylists over the years after that, but Zeus had always been my favourite. He had a certain magical touch to everything he created.

'Darling,' he mewled, 'I absolutely could not let you go back with some _other_ designer's outfit.' In all the excitement, I launched myself at him. He was a little taken aback but wrapped his arms around me anyway.

'Of course,' I whispered, 'I wouldn't have it any other way.' He pulled away and wiped away a tear.

'That's my girl.' As he instructed the team on how to prepare me, I told him all about home. In the entirety of Capitol, he was one of the rare people who seemed to understand the cruelty of the Hunger Games. He viewed it as a gruesome slaughtering and nothing else. When we first met, he had told me he had aspired to become a Games stylist since he always loved styling and felt that this was his way of providing a little bit of comfort and hope to the poor kids before they entered. Although his reasoning was a little deluded, I applauded him for not falling into line with the rest of the Capitol. He was trying and that was all we _could_ do.

Once I was ready, Zeus took me to a separate room for the dressing.

'Oh, darling, I have the _perfect_ outfit. You are going to _love, love, love _it!' Zeus seemed so excited that I couldn't imagine myself _not_ love it. It was moments like those that I loved most. The brief moments before the storm hit when I could forget about everything and just live in the moment. To fret about dresses instead of food. To fuss over eyeliner instead of weapons. To worry over heels instead of death.

If it had been anyone but Zeus, I would have been stone-cold, wondering how anyone could be excited about these insignificant things before the Games, but Zeus had that effect on me. He was different. Maybe it was his good intention that did it, but he somehow made me take a complete 180 around him.

Zeus made me close my eyes as he adjusted the dress onto my body. I waited patiently, thinking about what the silky fabric that brushed against me actually looked like.

'Okay, now open your eyes,' Zeus said, unable to conceal the excitement in his voice. I opened them and a soft gasp escaped my lips. It was… _beautiful_. It was nothing like the Capitol designs I had ever seen. The layers of fabric that cascaded from my waist looked like a waterfall, catching glints of light with every movement. The illusion of water was so real, I had to reach out and touch the flowing skirt of the gown to make sure it wasn't. The V-neck top of the dress was a soft beige colour, giving the effect of sand. It was as if Zeus had captured a part of home and spun it into a dress.

'Thank you,' I whispered, my voice almost gone from the tears threatening to escape. The loudest part of my whole get-up was the ugly scar that stood starkly against my skin. He hadn't covered it up unlike everyone else who tried to. Zeus nodded proudly before leading me out. The prep team clapped and shrieked when they saw me, and for once, their reactions weren't in the least bit exaggerated. Every gasp that the dress earned was deserved.

But all the good feelings were stolen by the sight that appeared the moment I stepped out of the prep room. All the tributes were gathered there. The chariots awaited us, ready to ride all but one of us to our imminent deaths.

* * *

**Yep,**

**Just wasting the last day of the year with fanfic. Am I disappointed? Absolutely. Am I surprised? Nope.**

**Anyway, ENJOY THE NEW YEAR!**

**Lea Valdez**


	8. Chapter Seven

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Seven **

I pretended I didn't notice, but several heads turned my way as I stepped out. I made my way over to one of my closer friends; Johanna. She was staring at me intently, a tangible hate glowing around her.

'Jealous?' I mused. She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

'Are you serious, you look like the ocean while I look like a fricking tree,' she said, gesturing toward her outfit. I had to admit, her stylists really lived up to the Capitol fashion taste. She looked horrid. The only thing keeping her from looking like a complete flop was the fierce look on her face. Her makeup artists had outdone themselves, covering her face in deep and smoky colours. Anyone in their right mind wouldn't approach her with the frightening look her stylists had conjured up.

'Oh no,' I reassured, 'you look like an absolutely terrifying tree.' Johanna was probably going to reply with some snarky comment, but Zeus interrupted before she could.

'It's time to show off, gorgeous,' he squealed, leading me to my horse. He gave me a kiss on the cheek before I lifted myself up. Finnick was already climbing onto the chariot. I needed a moment to register his outfit. He was wearing a fishing net! A bloody fishing net! I thanked every holy entity up above that Zeus was my stylist and not anyone else.

'The ladies are going to love _that_,' I commented as I climbed up beside him. He chuckled, popping what I assumed was a sugar cube into his mouth. _He was in love with those things…_

As the chariot lurched forward, my grip on the reigns grew tighter. It felt as if I could fall out at any moment. With my eyes steeled and glued ahead, the enormous doors opened. I was about to flash my innocent girl smile, but that's when it hit. Ever since I had worn my dress, an odd feeling kept nagging me. Now, with the screams and applauds of the Capitol washing over me, it all clarified. For the first time since my Games, I wasn't the cute fifteen-year-old. For the first time, the Capitol took a glimpse of me as something more. I had grown up and I didn't need to act like a giggling teenager.

Instead of pasting on the fake smile, I looked at everyone with a sense of superiority. I was above all of this rubbish; above this hell; above everything the Capitol was cheering for. With my head held high and a rush of freedom coursing through my veins, a smirk materialised on my lips. A real one. The audience probably loved it, but little did they know the words behind my smirk. _I'm not playing your game anymore._

And then, a much more shocking thought hit me. Zeus would never accidentally dress me up like this. For eight years, every time I made an appearance in the Capitol, I looked like the small, shallow ponds that decorated luxurious events. But as I travelled through the crowds, I looked like a gushing waterfall; strong, magnificent and dangerous. Every Victor had an attached theme; Katniss and her fire, Enobaria and her savageness, Finnick and his charm. I had always been the innocent little girl, so why was I dressed as if I were making a statement? What was going on?

The chariot made its round and finally stopped in front of the towering balcony where President Snow stood. He delivered his usual speech, but I didn't listen to a word of it. Instead, my mind was flitting about, trying to grasp the situation. I only realised that the ceremony had ended when the chariot jolted forward.

With every thought that swarmed my head, I became surer of the fact that something was definitely going on.

As soon as I dismounted my chariot, I headed straight for my suite. I needed to sort out my thoughts and the best way to do that was to write everything down. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I sprinted to my room as best I could in the hefty dress, shedding it before the door could even close properly.

The furious headache pounding against my skull was only sated once I stepped into the cold water streaming down from the shower. There, in the absolute cold, the frenzy in my head slowed a bit, allowing some order to form throughout every possibility I had calculated. I only spent a few precious minutes in there though, hurrying out before I forgot anything.

Still dripping wet and wrapped in only a towel, I grabbed the notebook and pen that sat on the bed-side table. They were hotel-mandated ones, meaning they had more aesthetic value than practical purpose. The paper was thick and had a glossy sheen while the pen was basically useless, but I made do. Scribbling down whatever came to mind, the pages were filled within a few hours, containing illegible nonsense that only I could comprehend.

The knock that came from the door almost frightened me as I was thrown back into reality. Quickly throwing on the first thing that my drawers provided, I took a deep breath to collect myself and answered. It was an Avox.

'Is it dinner already?' I asked. It hadn't felt long enough. In the Capitol, everyone had dinner quite late. The Avox didn't respond with even a shake of her head before holding out a small box for me. I took it and opened it. Inside, an abundance of envelopes sat. They came in varying shapes and colours but inside, they all held the same thing. Shallow admiration for my "strength". Worthless congratulations for my "bravery". Disgusting compliments for my "courage". All because I had killed some kids.

In the Capitol, they called it _fan_ _mail_. As if every Victor was a celebrity and not a murderer. The Capitol sent hundreds of these to us every year. I always threw mine away before opening them. The first time I had ever made the mistake of opening one, I was left with bloody nightmares for months. I had opened in hopes of consolation but instead, the letter had applauded my skill and outlined how excited they had been as I had killed someone. The whole notion of the _fan mail_ appalled me.

I nodded at the Avox to take her leave. Without thinking twice, I shoved all the letters out and threw them one by one into the fireplace. They looked prettier burning than they did open. I watched as they slowly caught flame, burning, vanishing from the world.

Just as I was about to get up, something caught my eye. Somewhere between all the letters, a golden symbol stood out. It was a mockingjay. I squinted, trying to focus on it better. The letter was around the top of the pile, so it hadn't been turned into crisps yet.

Wasn't the mockingjay the symbol for the Girl on Fire? Why was a letter with a golden mockingjay addressed to me? Again, an odd occurrence had taken place and my mind whizzed. Two out of place things in one day in the Capitol was too much to ignore. Clamping my mouth shut, I stuck my hand into the hearth and snatched the letter.

Dropping it on the floor, I ran to the bathroom and placed my hands under cool, running water. Blisters would certainly begin to form soon, but that wasn't the least of my worries. I walked back into my room and picked up the letter. The sides were charred, but the letter was relatively untouched. Opening it up, I hesitated.

If it was just fan mail, the nightmares would be back. But if it wasn't, I'd regret not reading it. Taking a deep breath, I slipped the paper out and read it.

_Plum pudding!_

_Rear Entrance, ice-cream. Milkshake. Trust lamb stew._

_Yours,_

_Fish cake_

**HAIII!**

**Hope you liked this chapter! Please leave a review, follow and favourite!**

**Luv yall (^ 3^)**

**Lea Valdez**


	9. Chapter Eight

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Eight **

I froze.

The words written on the page would be gibberish to every soul on the planet except two; me… and Finnick. If he had used the code, it only meant that there something so important happening, that I needed to drop everything and follow the instructions. We had written the code years ago; in case anything went wrong, only using it twice, to avoid prying eyes.

The letter translated to an urgent situation. I needed to be at the rear entrance of the training centre by nine, dressed to blend in, unseen. I would only trust and follow someone who approached me saying lamb stew. Leaving the training centre was illegal for Victors, so it was essential I looked like an ordinary Capitol citizen. Usually, at home, I would dress in darker colours to go unnoticed, however, in the Capitol, it would be less obvious if I announced my presence in the middle of a crowd than wearing all black.

Throwing open my closet doors, I rummaged through it to find the most outrageous outfit I could throw together. Ending up in a fluffy neon pink dress, fishnet stockings, the biggest pair of heels I could find and a shiny golden cardigan, I checked the time. It was almost half-past eight, so I only had a short while to cover my face with the powders that sat at my desk. It wasn't that hard, to be honest. I just had to slather my face in a cream that made it a stark white and then layer on blinding bright colours onto my eyelids, cheeks, and lips.

When I resembled a grotesque demon of sorts, I slipped out of my room. I had already known where all the blind spots were in the training centre, the architects were horribly repetitive. It was one of the things you'd notice when you stay in one of the Capitol residences for a month every year for eight years. My room was one among many in the long hallway, so if I could just get through the corridor without being caught on camera, I would be safe. Once I was in the open, I could have been anyone. I could have been Louis Jayne for all that the surveillance team cared – who were undoubtedly monitoring every camera at that moment. So, as I sneaked out, I grinned, knowing that I was getting away right under their noses.

At the rear doors, I lingered as casually as I could, flashing a demented smile at some passers-by and a ridiculous wave to others. Surprisingly, absolutely no one looked back or glanced twice at me. The more I thought about it, the Capitols were absolute monsters. Finally, I felt a hand on my back and a chirpy voice asked, 'Darling, I've been looking for you! They were serving your favourite, _lamb stew._'

I'd recognise that voice anywhere. Turning, I addressed him.

'Zeus, _sweetie_, what a surprise! Wasn't there somewhere where we're meant to be?' I asked in the most Capitol accent I could muster. Zeus popped the most enthusiastic "oh" before looping his arm around mine and leading me out of the building.

For the first time, I was travelling through the Capitol without a thousand escorts or suffocating clothes or on specific routes that were designed especially for tributes, Victors or any other role involved in the Hunger Games. From afar, although the citizens were sickening to look at, the city itself was breathtaking. The lights that shone in the night and the sheer enormity of the gleaming buildings were one of the few beautiful things the Capitol had to offer.

The Capitol always seemed so… big. Now, up-close and free of all the restraints, everything was different. Everything about the Capitol was huge; as if everything had been taken and mega-sized. I felt like an ant wandering into the world of humans. It took a while for me to adjust to the new environment, but Zeus' squabbling helped me. We talked nonsense as he led me to God knows where. It was on very rare occasion that I would blindly trust someone, especially under such treasonous circumstances.

Finally, we approached an old, deserted shop in the corner of a more unpopular street.

'After you, darling,' he said. I faux-smiled and opened the door. It was completely empty inside, save for a counter. Every surface was covered in a fine layer of dust, undisturbed for what seemed like several years. Zeus stepped in after me, and as soon as we did, his whole façade dissipated in the blink of an eye.

'Darling, you might want to step out of those clothes. They'll be a nuisance in the tunnels,' he instructed. The bipolar nature of his character gave me whiplash. Before I could question anything, he turned me around, ripped off my cardigan and started to undo the zipper of the dress.

'What is-' I started, but he cut me off.

'You take that off and change into these,' he said hurriedly, dumping a pair of trousers, combat shoes and a shirt into my arms. The clothes had to have been placed in the shop beforehand, meaning whatever was happening, had been happening for a _long_ time. Every scenario that I had played in my head was nothing, not even close to meeting the standards of what I was realising. The planning and time that had gone into this was no joke. Sensing the hasty vibe, I changed out of the crazy clothes and into the ones that Zeus had handed me.

As I slipped the trousers on, Zeus thrust a pack of wipes out of his purse and scrubbed my face clean.

'The make-up won't last in there anyway,' he muttered, clearing my face of all the powders. Although it was somewhat relieving, nothing could sate my confusion. With every what, how and why I managed to get out, Zeus hushed me, fixing me up.

'Okay,' Zeus announced. He walked right to the back of the shop, revealing a door that led to what smelled like a lavatory. One that had been left unattended for too long. Pinching his nose, he waved me over. As I peered into the room, I was met with something completely outrageous. Not the Capitol outrageous, this was even worse.

Right there, where I guessed should've been a toilet, was a large hole in the wall, leading into what could only be sewers.

'Follow me,' Zeus commanded, but before he could take another step, I pulled him back by his arm. A fit of unexpected anger rose inside of me. I hated not knowing what I was entangled in.

'Zeus,' I said sternly, 'what is going on?' I thought it was impossible, but for the first time ever, I watched as Zeus frowned.

'Oh, darling… it's beginning,' he said woefully, 'the rebellion.'

**HAIII!**

**Hope you liked this chapter! Please leave a review, follow and favourite!**

**Luv yall (^ 3^)**

**Lea Valdez**


	10. Chapter Nine

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Nine **

I had seen this coming. I had seen it coming from miles away, but the reality of the situation hit hard. My mouth gaped open and it took me a few moments to recalibrate. Zeus watched me as I went through an emotional roller-coaster starting at shock and ending at acceptance. Confusion, realisation and fear were some of the steeper drops and more prominent loops. I gulped everything down, filing all my unaddressed thoughts away for later.

I nodded at Zeus to lead the way.

'Of all the ways to access our mutual meeting point, they had to choose the sewers,' he grumbled as we made our way. Our surroundings exuded a disgusting smell that rivalled that off the waste ponds back at home. There was very little light, and everything was wet and mushy. I kept my physical contact with the wall to a minimum even though it meant risking a fall into the liquid below. Whatever the walls were covered in, I doubted it was anything the foamy soap back at the building could help with.

'So,' I said, trying to sound casual, 'is it alright if I can get a bit of context?' Zeus turned his head my way, clearly hesitating for a moment. Although the dark concealed most of his expression, I could still see the traces of worry that lined his face. He turned back around, taking a deep breath and continuing forward.

'The rebellion had started the second Katniss and Peeta had threatened to eat the berries. Of course, every soul in the Districts old enough to think had thought of it at least once in their lifetime, but it _really_ started with the berries. It gave everyone hope. If those two could get away with one act of defiance, what was to say the Districts couldn't with more? Stirring in the Districts woke up a few people in the Capitol too. Believe it or not, but there are a few, rare individuals in the Capitol who are still a little human and _want_ the rebellion to take place.' I listened carefully. So Zeus _did_ hear my scattered comments about the Capitol and took them to heart. He was acting so different to the Zeus I knew; but somehow, I felt as if he was more himself.

'So, I'm guessing this whole… _rebellion_ has been a year in the making?'

'Not really. This past year has just been putting everything into action. Most of the rebellion was ready years ago. Decades ago, even. It was just no one had the power or chance to start it, until now of course.' I waited for him to continue, but it never came.

After a while of sloshing through the sewers, Zeus whipped around.

'We're here. Now, I need you to stay calm. Everything that is said and done past this point decides the fate of Panem.' The words sounded unnatural coming from Zeus – he was always so upbeat – but I agreed, nonetheless. Zeus felt around the wall before us, searching for something I apparently could not see.

A faint click resonated through the empty sewers before Zeus stepped back and a hole identical to the one back at the shop opened up. Zeus stepped through and beckoned me after him. As soon as I was inside, the smell immediately vanished. I took a lungful of air, the first proper breath I had taken in the past half hour in the sewers.

The walls were a blinding white, hurting my eyes after they had spent so long in darkness. It took me a few moments to adjust to the new setting. On the opposite side of the room, there was a large screen, filled with numbers and diagrams that I didn't have the time to process. Right in the centre of the room was a large table. But the thing that took my breath away was the sheer number of people. There were _so many_ people. At least a dozen Victors and their mentors took up half of the room. The rest were official-looking people, stylists such as Zeus and (to my surprise) Cinna, and a couple of unfamiliar faces. I had only expected a group of four or five people huddled in a small, dingy room with a few maps, not this.

'Ah, Coral,' someone called. I searched the sea of faces to find who it was. My eyes finally landed on a chubby man. Somewhere at the back of my mind, I remembered his face, but I couldn't place it. 'I'm Plutarch Heavensbee,' he introduced. I nodded in greeting, still speechless.

He clapped his hands with heir of finality and everyone in the room turned to face him. He had a sort of gravitas about him. I silently shuffled to the side with all the Victors and took the empty seat next to Johanna.

'Hey,' she whispered to me, a smirk plastered to her face which was undoubtedly aimed at my stunned face. 'You stink.' Again, I nodded instead of answering due to my speechlessness.

'Everyone, I would first like to introduce our very special guest,' Plutarch announced. A woman in a plain jumpsuit stepped forward, smiling brilliantly. 'This is Alma Coin, President of District 13.' Everyone remained quiet, waiting for him to correct himself or crack a joke. The silence grew tenser by the second.

'District 13 was destroyed in the Dark Days,' I finally croaked. Plutarch chuckled, as if he were waiting for someone to say that.

'That's what the Capitol wants you to think,' Alma Coin replied. 'In truth, District 13 simply moved underground. The clips that they show every year is just the same recording with a different reporter spliced in. District 13 actually struck a secret deal with the Capitol and was allowed to secede from Panem. The general public knew that District 13's industry was graphite mining, and while we did mine the substance on a small scale, our primary industry was nuclear science and technology.' All of a sudden, everything was blown to such a large scale, I couldn't even begin to imagine it. With every word that was said, my mind was blown to even smaller pieces.

'Katniss Everdeen is the heart of everything we are working on. She's our mockingjay, so it is essential that we execute this perfectly, getting her out of the arena at all costs,' Plutarch explained. 'Over the course of a year, we have been reaching out to all the Victors in completely random order so as to not arouse suspicion. The rebellion is beginning and each and every person in this room is playing an important part in it. We need full cooperation for this to work. Today will be more of a history lesson, so listen closely.' So, over the next hour, we all learnt the truth about the Revolution. We also lightly reviewed the plan of action after we escaped the arena, but it was largely left untouched for our next meeting.

As we progressed, I hardened myself. This was serious. This could possibly be the most meaningful thing I would do in my life.

'What about our families?' I asked as we were going through the route to District 13.

'They will be transported to District 13 safely before anything dangerous begins.' Something in my core calmed at his words. That's all I needed to hear for me to grant my unwavering loyalty. Soon, Plutarch was checking his watch.

'We must bring this meeting to an end. Our next meeting will be after your Training Lessons. We will devise groups then,' he announced. 'Now, we have a total of ten ways out. The Victors will have to return first, before anyone notices they are missing. We'll have to put you in different pairs and return through different routes. The pairs will be,' he took out a piece of paper from his pocket and read it out, 'Beetee and Woof Route 1, Seeder and Wiress Route 2, Cecilia and the Morphlings Route 3, Finnick and Coral Route 4…' The lists went on for a while. I glanced at Finnick to see him staring back.

'Everyone will be leaving at five-minute intervals.' And those were the final words before everyone scrambled out. As I leaned against the door to Route 4, Finnick came up to me.

'Coral,' he sighed, 'I would have never asked you to volunteer if I knew this was happening.' I faced away from him and crossed my arms.

'Yeah?' I asked absentmindedly. 'The only thing that would save would be your conscience. You know that you asking didn't change anything.' Even as I said it, I felt a sting. I knew I was being exceptionally callous toward him, but I couldn't control myself. I noticed much too often that the charming peacock always turned into a miserable being whenever he was around. I knew he was sorry, but I couldn't bring myself to forgive him. Sometimes, I even forgot why I was being so horrid, but when I remembered, it all came back tenfold.

'But at least I'll know I have a chance of making out alive without killing everyone,' I added in an attempt to water down my earlier comments.

'Yeah,' Finnick mumbled. 'Let's get out alive.'

* * *

**Hi!**

**The story's moooooving. Maybe it's a **_**little **_**boring this chapter but I had to get all the technicalities of the rebellion out of the way… Training Sessions start in two chapters. It's happening! **_**So**_** excited! I love writing this and sharing it with all my wonderful readers. It would be so great if you guys took a little time out of your day to provide a bit of feedback for, it really keeps me going!**

**Anyway, luv yall!**

**(^ 3^)**

**Lea Valdez**


	11. Chapter Ten

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Ten **

Turned out, "Route 5" was an _extremely_ nice way of saying air-vent. Finnick and I crawled through the tiny space, exchanging nothing but simple grunts of annoyance every now and then. In all honesty, I didn't know which was worse: the sewers or the vents. The sewers circled around quite a bit, taking much longer and the stench was unbearable, whereas the vents led straight to the kitchen of the building, but I was sure my elbows knees would be bruised afterward.

Once we got to the opening of the kitchen vent, the two of us silently dropped down. Looking around, I noticed it was the chef changing room. Two uniforms and a makeup bag were neatly placed against a bench. No doubt, the previous users of Route 5 had worn them before getting into the vent.

Without any words, Finnick and I layered the long chef robes and hats on top of our regular clothes and only swapped out our shoes for a ridiculous pair that was prepped for us. Dabbing on a minimal amount of makeup by Capitol standards, I was about to leave.

'Wait,' Finnick called before I could leave. I turned around to see him desperately reading the labels on all the products. 'Could you help me with these?' he asked. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

'It's not like I'm an expert,' I said as I approached him. 'All you need to do is look like a freak. Use the white powder to cover your face and then use whichever colour you want to coat your eyelids, cheeks, and lips.' Finnick nodded and did as I instructed. Soon, he looked like Kory when she tried to use Mother's makeup. I snickered at the result.

'What?' he asked, smirking.

'Let's just say you look like a true Capitol citizen.' He chuckled before the two of us stepped out into the kitchen. We took two trays of food each and headed to our rooms. We only needed to look like chefs delivering food to the Victors. Once we got the corridor, we stuck to the blind spots. As soon as I was in my room, I released a sigh of relief that I didn't know I was holding.

Everything that had happened in the past few hours had taken its toll on me. I was exhausted and my muscles ached from crawling through the vents. But the most irritating thing of all was, even though my body yearned for sleep, my mind yearned for answers. Not even half my questions had been answered, but one thing was for sure: an inevitable change was on its way. Anything at all was better than the world I was living in.

But instead of tending my head, I decided to satisfy my body for once. I crawled onto the large bed and curled up right at the center.

_What a day. I can only imagine what tomorrow's going to be like_.

* * *

"Tomorrow" was the first training session. Every tribute was up at the crack of dawn, filing into the training room. Some of us hadn't touched weapons in years so it was essential that we recovered as much as we could in the next few days. Of course, I wouldn't count myself as one of those people, but I definitely needed to brush up on my natural skills such as locating edible food.

I headed straight to the large screen which had a multitude of fruits displayed on it. Using only the visual image of the fruit and very vague provided information concerning its smell and texture, I had to sort them into the categories "safe" and "dangerous". Before starting, I sneaked a peek at the unknowing saviour of the Districts. She was sitting with Beetee and Wiress showing them how to start a fire. Of course, she was. Katniss Everdeen tended to associate herself with people who weren't strong or powerful. It was even obvious throughout her own Games. Her alliance with Rue was a dead giveaway. I didn't blame her though; she was from one of the poorer Districts, it was only natural that her instinct was to stick with those who seemed poorer in the Games.

Filing the information away for later, I started with my own task. I began to sort the easier few that I already knew. Strawberries, raspberries, plums, blueberries. As I was about to pull the picture of the blueberry into the safe category, I felt a presence behind me, and a voice followed soon after.

'I wouldn't call those safe.' I turned around to see Katniss standing behind me and staring at the "blueberries" I was about to sort. She pointed at it and then faced me. 'Those are nightlock.' I swiped to the other side and dropped them into the dangerous category.

'Wouldn't you know, Girl On Fire?' I said, smirking. 'How about a deal? You teach me how the hell I figure out what to eat and what to not and I show you a few moves with my weapon of choice.' Katniss visibly paused and considered.

'What's your weapon of choice?' I grinned, making my way to the array of lethal weapons that stood against the wall. Picking up the tallest of them all, I hefted it up and over its restraints. I knew it was ironic for the shortest person in the room to use the tallest weapon, but it was part of my power and charm.

'A double-bladed staff,' I said with a flourish, presenting the beautiful thing. I climbed onto the platform where we could practice. Johanna was already there, fiercely jabbing her axe around.

'Mind if I take the stage for a while?'

'Sure.' Once she had gotten off, I stood in a neutral position with my staff. Taking a deep breath, I imagined all the people that I would have to take down and began. Slashing through the air as if there were actual people there, I swerved and attacked. Of course, back in my Games, I didn't have the slightest clue of how to use polearms. Yes, maybe I could spear a few fish, but people and fish did not work the same way. I had mainly used my advantage in water and innocence to win.

Only afterwards did I pick up the double-bladed staff. One of the only genuinely useful ideas the Capitol had generated for Victors after their Games was our "hobby". Something to do since we idled our days away with no school or work. Ever since my Games, I had lived in fear that someday, every kill I had made would come back to me with consequences and I needed to be ready when they did, so I chose to learn to use the double-bladed staff as my hobby.

Later, I had to change it since it didn't "fit" my image which was still somehow "cute" even after the Capitol had witnessed me murder people in a most un-cute fashion. So, I changed my hobby to dancing for show, but I continued with the double-bladed staff on my own, away from the Capitol's prying eyes.

Currently, from what I had seen, I wasn't as good with the staff as Katniss was with her bow, but I was good enough to be considered a threat. Once I had finished my little show, I hopped off the platform, breathing heavily.

'How'd you like it?'

'I'm not much of a polearm person,' she replied. 'But I watched your Games. You definitely did not how to do this,' she gestured to my staff and the stage, 'back then.'

'Let's just say I had eight years and a deathly fear of karma since.'

* * *

**Hello beloved readers,**

**I would like to start off with, thank you so much for your love and support. without every person who has viewed, reviewed, favourited and followed my story, I wouldn't have had the motivation to get so far (if you are familiar with a few of my other works, you'd know I have a few... commitment issues).**

**Aside from my overflowing love for you guys, I am writing this announcement to let everyone know:**

**EVERY TEN CHAPTERS, WE WILL HAVE A Q & A.**

**Now, of course, there is one tiny problem... I don't have any questions. So I encourage everyone to ask questions in the comments section. You can ask anything you like, whether it be something you are confused about, something you are curious about, or something you are dying to know. The questions can be directed at me, the story, the characters, absolutely anything and anyone!**

**Thank you so much!**

**Luv yall,**

**Lea Valdez**


	12. Q & A (1)

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Q & A **

Welcome to the very first Question & Answer for Sacrifice. Unfortunately, I didn't receive a lot of question and I realise now that, there aren't many to ask at this point in the story (my bad). I hope there are more things my beloved readers are curious about in the next ten chapters. Thank you so much _datrandomfangirl_ for your questions. Other than that, I asked a few of my friends for questions and incorporated them too.

* * *

**Q: Why does Coral sometimes get all worked up around Finnick? (datrandomfangirl)**

**A:** As we already know, he broke some kind of promise he made with Coral. It was a very important promise to her and, although I cannot reveal what it is yet, she is still very hurt about it. Sometimes, though, we see her as a little more tolerant with Finnick and on rare occurrences, she does joke with him. This is because, eight years is a long time and it definitely gave her some time to think. She understands Finnick's decision to break the promise, however, it is still something that she cannot forgive. Being constantly angry at a person is tiring too, so she has her mood swings around him, but it shall all be clarified with time.

**Q: Can we get a basic character profile for her [Coral]? (datrandomfangirl)**

**A:** Absolutely!

_General:_

_Full Name:_ Coral Reeves

_Gender:_ Female

_Age:_ 23

_Weapon/s of choice:_ Polearms: blade staff; spear; staff

_Distric_t: 4

_Victor of:_ 67th Hunger Games (age 15)

_Appearance:_

_Hair:_ Short (chin-length), golden-brown

_Eyes:_ warm brown

_Skin tone:_ fair - tanned

_Height:_ 5' 1"

_Special:_ Scar on left side of face, passing over eye

**Q: What inspired you to write this fic (and how long do you plan on making it)? (datrandomfangirl)**

**A:** Uhm… well… I guess it's basically the same reason as most other Finnick-centric fanfic writers: to fix something that some Suzanne Collins did that greatly depressed us. wE dO nOt sPeAk oF iT! In all honesty, though, I've always imagined how a potato like moi would die within the first five seconds of the Hunger Games, so I started building this character in my head. I wanted to project my vulnerability into her. I wanted to see an innocent character develop, if not in the most positive direction, during the Games. Someone who wasn't skilled or powerful or even that knowledgeable but used her abilities to her advantage. Even in a horrible dystopian reality, the big powerful people aren't always victorious. Sometimes, all you need is a bit of wit and determination to win.

While building the character, I reread The Hunger Games Trilogy. Finnick's death was fresh in my mind, so it all came together, and voila, I had written up the concept, characters, and storyline. I'm currently working on the 11th chapter. I reckon there'll be around fifty or so chapters…? Maybe more? I don't know for sure yet.

**Q:** **Ok, if you don't finish this one, I will actually murder you. You have like a gazillion unfinished works and you're starting another one? Are you sure you have the commitment? (my friend)**

**A:** No, I do not have the commitment. You threatening to murder me is a great attempt to encourage me to continue writing, however, my commitment issues are playing the opposition real strong, so… I guess we have a problem.

Jk, jk. I am trying my very best to avoid writer's block and am working hard against my commitment issues. This is actually one of the most consistent fics I've written, and I can see myself getting it done.

**Q: Why do you even do this? (my friend)**

**A:** Because I wanna. Deal with it.

**Hope you guys enjoyed!**


	13. Chapter Eleven

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Eleven **

'Who did Katniss want as allies?' the Head Gamemaker asked. We were back in the big, secret white room for our second meeting. This time, it was in the dead of night, making it easier for us to go unnoticed in all the revelry. Haymitch spun around to address the room instead of Plutarch.

'The special contestants vying for a place in Ms. Everdeen's alliance are, drumroll please,' he announced, dramatically tapping against the table. 'Weird and Weirder.' _Beetee and Wiress._ My hunch about Katniss' tendencies concerning alliances was right.

'Ok, I need all of the tributes to form groups. These will be the people you will stick with for most of the Game,' he instructed. I instantly faced Johanna who was already grinning at me. We headed over to each other.

'Ready to kick ass?'

'As ready as I'll ever be.' The crazy, mischievous glint in her eyes was what got me obsessed with her in the first place. Sure, she was a few years younger than me, but her ferocity made up for the age gap. She was so strong; I aspired to have a strength like her's one day. I don't know why she decided to be friends with me, but I didn't dare question her.

All of us had formed pairs or trios of sorts. Plutarch sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose.

'Everyone already knows the plan, and I very clearly explained we could only have the groups split in three max before they merge on the second night when we extract Katniss and whoever else we can. Ok, I'll split everyone up,' he sighed. 'Since Peeta will obviously stick to Katniss like glue, we can't have Beetee and Wiress with them too. It'll be too much of a load. Finnick and Coral, you stay with Katniss, do whatever you need to do to keep her alive.

'Group two will be comprised of Beetee and Wiress and they'll merge after a while into the Games; it'll keep Katniss' trust with us. Now, I need someone to stay with Beetee and Wiress to keep them alive. Johanna, you can keep with them.' I didn't like the plan Plutarch was creating at all. Finnick's safety was guaranteed since he was with Katniss and Plutarch wouldn't let any major harm go Katniss' way. However, Johanna was a different story. Plutarch would happily sacrifice her and anyone else to keep anyone from suspecting anything until the Games were over.

'No,' I said. 'I want to be with Johanna. Katniss can protect herself just fine and she has Finnick too. Peeta will live with the two of them by his side. I'll stay with Johanna; it'll be hard to protect both Beetee and Wiress on her own.' Plutarch considered me carefully.

'Coral…' he said in a warning tone. 'Katniss probably likes you a lot better than Finnick given your little conversation during the Training Sessions.' I was so sick of the unspoken words that hung in the air that I just spit them out.

'Then do something about it, but I _will _stay with Johanna!' I exclaimed. 'Look, my loyalty may lie with this plan, but it sure as hell does not lie with you. And my trust doesn't either. I want this rebellion as much as every Victor in this room, but _you've _never had a proper taste of your own creations. Your motives and benefit from this seem sketchy so I suggest doing this on our terms just as much as yours.' I had expected the tension to climax, but it felt as if a breath of relief had been released in the room. Everything we were thinking was out in the open, we were playing this games with all our cards spread out. There was nothing to hide; nothing to fret about.

To my surprise, and probably everyone else's, Plutarch smiled.

'I'm glad we have such a stubborn fighter on our side,' he said. 'Okay, fine. With the honest intent to gain your trust, you can be part of the second group.' I nodded stiffly in his direction. From there, we were briefed on how the Games would go down. Suspiciously, Plutarch was adamant on not telling us the layout of the games and any surprises it held. He claimed that "not all of us were great actors" and the audience would be able to tell that something was off if we avoided everything that was thrown our way and knew things that we shouldn't have. His baloney explanation and a few other factors were the exact reasons I didn't trust him.

The meeting was quite short since we needed to get back to the Training Centre before dawn. As we were all getting up, stretching, yawning and making our way to our separate routes, Haymitch walked up to me. He already had Finnick in tow.

'Haymitch,' I addressed suspiciously. He never really talked with anyone unless it concerned debauchery. And I definitely did not know much about it. He did spend a bit of time with Mags, but Finnick and I usually only watched their interactions from afar. Our rare conversations though, were never not amusing; his drunk-self acquired quite the sense of humour.

'Sweetheart,' he replied with his common nickname. 'Look, I'm gonna cut straight to the chase. Katniss might cooperate even if we don't get Beetee and Wiress to her, but she will never cooperate without Peeta. Now, I trust you two a lot more than the others,' he said gesturing towards the Victors who were leaving, 'both morally and physically. I need you two to keep Peeta alive, or this rebellion; it's burning to ashes.' We both nodded understandingly.

'Oh,' he added, 'and since Katniss hasn't gotten to trust Mr. Peacock yet, take this.' He unclasped a golden bracelet and handed it to Finnick. 'Show it to her, she'll know.' Haymitch clapped us both on our backs and walked over to his route partner. Finnick and I shared a look before hurrying over to our own routes.

Thankfully, I was going back via Route 2, a short distance of crawling through the vents into another room in the hotel we were apparently meeting at. Once my partner and I were in the other room, we were to change and return to the Training Centre in the thick of all the partying going on outside. We already had fake IDs prepped for us so we could get into the building. Even better, Johanna was my partner.

'For the record,' she said as soon as I got close enough to hear her, 'I could totally handle those two on my own.' I rolled my eyes. Of course, she could, she was Johanna Frickin Mason.

'I know,' I replied simply, starting our journey back.

Once we were out of the hotel, makeup on, wearing ridiculous costumes, we followed the designated path back.

'Wait,' Johanna said, holding my arm back. I gave her a curious look.

'What if we just stayed here for like a few minutes?' I cocked a brow. 'I wanna party for a bit.'

'Johanna,' I warned. We weren't meant to step off our routes.

'Come on, it wouldn't hurt at all. We'll get back before sunrise,' she promised. She pulled my arm, tugging me into the crowds. I looked back at the path, worried. We weren't meant to be doing this. But the colours and the aroma and the laughter were so compelling.

'Fine,' I said reluctantly, 'but only for ten minutes.' She laughed and pulled me in. Moments like this reminded me of Johanna's youth and of mine as well. Sometimes, it was alright to smile and laugh and pretend all our worries away. Sometimes, it was ok to be young and vulnerable. Sometimes, it was fine to ignore whatever dangers the future held and just enjoy the present.

So, I let myself slip into the festive colours and smells and sounds with Johanna's hand gripping mine.

* * *

**HI-LO**

**I really loved writing this chapter, it was emotional for me to write so I hope I conveyed the feelings well for all my readers. Thank you for your continued support!**

**Luv yall, **

**Lea Valdez**


	14. Chapter Twelve

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Twelve **

Apparently, neither Johanna nor I had a great sense of time. My tongue was covered with the bitter yet compelling taste of things I shouldn't have been drinking. The minutes slipped by until the crack of dawn. With the first rays of light peeking over the horizon, I tugged on Johanna's arm.

'Is that the sun?' I asked, confused. Johanna squinted.

'Yeh,' she hiccupped, laughing a little. I frowned. Wasn't there something we needed to do before sunrise? I swayed, trying to figure out what it was. My head rolled ono my chest and I felt like curling up right then and there, but then it clicked. Although my mind was foggy, I remembered that it was important that Johanna and I were inside the Training Centre before light.

'We need to go,' I mumbled in the most urgent voice I could muster. I grabbed onto to Johanna's arm and tried to pull her away from the festivity, but she resisted.

'I don't want to,' she said. 'Let's just keep partying. No one will ever find us. Why can't we?' Johanna had a point. Why couldn't we? Why did we have to return anyway? I couldn't think of any explanation. But an instinct in my core demanded that I leave all the revelry behind. I _knew_ there was a reason we needed to be back, and we were already late.

'No,' I moaned, tugging her again. 'We need to go.' We both reluctantly made our way to the Training Centre, swinging and tripping all the way there. It was easy enough to find since it was the largest building in the vicinity. At the front doors, Johanna started banging on them, but I remembered that we had cards that would let us in. I tapped mine on the scanner repeatedly until the doors opened. Laughing raucously for no reason, we entered.

'You should go to your room,' I told her after a while. She pouted.

'Fine.' Johana stumbled to her room. I watched her as she left. I loved being with her. She unlocked a part of me that I never knew existed. A happy, worry-less one that I desperately needed. Once she was out of sight, I turned and made my way to my own room. As I did, I saw a bottle sitting on the buffet table, not unlike the ones that I had drained back at the party. I snatched it on my way.

My shoulders were still moving to the beat of the music from outside. I was almost in the corridor of my room when someone pulled me back. I flailed about, trying to escape the stranger's grip. I considered smashing the bottle on their head, but it was too good for it to go that way. Instead, I lashed out, hoping to land a kick that would hurt.

'Coral, Coral,' someone hushed. I instinctively relaxed. I recognised that voice, but I couldn't quite place it. Once the stranger was sure that I was calm, they turned me around. Finnick's sea green eyes searched mine.

'Where were you?' he whispered-shouted frantically. I gave him a slow and stupid smile to let him know I was fine. Honestly, he was so worried when he was around me. I was offended that he charmed the socks off everyone but didn't even bother with me. 'You should've been back hours ago! Your prep team will be here any moment to take your fit for your costume.' I rolled my eyes.

'… wait, were you drinking?' He finally seems to notice the bottle in my hands. He eyes it distastefully. I immediately hide it behind me.

'Maybe,' I say simply. He sighed. _So very offended_.

'Ok, do you want to play a game?' he asked. I was about to nod eagerly, but the look on his face made me pause.

'What kind of game?' I asked sceptically.

'You know the blind spots in the corridor?' he asks. I looked around and nod, eyes darting to the spots which the camera didn't catch. 'Run to your room as quickly as you can, and I'll come a little later. We can't get caught though. You wanna play?' he offered. I hadn't played a simple game in so long, that I blurted out my answer without thinking twice.

'Let's plaaay!' he nods and gestures towards my room, inviting me to go first. My shoes were already gone, lost sometime during the party. I gripped the bottle to my chest and sprinted towards my room, keeping to the sides and pressed against the wall. I fell inside, lying on the floor for a moment. It was stuffy. Why was I wearing absurd, suffocating clothes? I threw them off, left only in my undergarments.

'Better,' I muttered, struggling to get up. The heat was really getting to me. I felt as if my skin was on fire. Wobbling to the bathroom, I washed my face with whatever product was beside the sink. As I scrubbed my face, a rush of relief flowed through me. I realised it was because of the thick layer of cosmetics that covered my face. When it was finally off, I could breathe again.

A click in the room alerted me that Finnick had made it in.

'We both win!' I exclaim, throwing my hands up and dropping onto my bed. I grabbed the bottle. 'Let's celebrate. Wait, there's no cups. Guess only one of us can have this.' I looked to him, fluttering my lashes and pouting, hoping he would say I could have it. He just took me in for a moment and turned away, ruffling through my drawers. I huffed. How rude, I wanted an answer!

'You should put on a shirt,' he said, throwing one at me. I rolled my eyes and shoved it over my head. I still wanted an answer.

'Can I have the drink all for myself?' I asked sweetly. Finnick looked over his shoulder, before he walked up to me. He snatched the bottle.

'Hey! I wanted that.' Finnick stubbornly shook his head and turned to walk out of the room.

'No more for you,' he said as he opened my door.

'Please!' I cried. 'Please, just a teensy-weensy bit?'

'If anyone asks, say you're sick and you want to be alone.' With one last look at me, he shook his head, flattened himself against the outside wall and slipped out, supposedly to his own room. I fell back against the bed, still whining.

'Please,' I mumbled, but I couldn't get my heavy limbs to move. 'Just a little bit.' But I never got that bit, at least not in my waking hours. As I slept, I fantasised of debauching myself into insanity. I didn't have to care when my head wasn't working right. I didn't need to fix things or figure how to win the Hunger Games. I finally understood why Haymitch preferred the company of drinks to the company of humans.

**Thank you for your support, reader!**

**Se you next chapter.**

**Lea Valdez**


	15. Chapter Thirteen

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Thirteen **

I missed training. By the time I opened my eyes, my room glowed dimly and there was an incessant rapping at my door. Sluggishly, I got up and answered.

'Tonight is the interview!' Zeus chimed as he bustled into my room. 'We need to make you look fierce, darling.' I only smiled because it was him. I would have ripped his head off if he were anyone else. Without even asking, I sat down on my bed and Zeus started with my measurements as usual.

'My, you've gotten skinny. You need to eat more if you want to fight off the brutes in the Games,' he scolded. I scoffed mentally. _Of course, I looked sickly after throwing up on a daily basis in the Capitol._ My prep team joined in soon afterwards, fussing over me. As they did, I wondered what the Games would be like. Even though there was a plan to get as many allies out as possible, I had a feeling Plutarch wouldn't mind if we died off before the end. All he cared about was Katniss' survival.

Zeus swathed a shimmery green cloth around me, muttering something under his breath. I stared at him for a moment.

'Hey,' I whispered. With pins in his mouth, he only managed to hum in answer, sparing a glance at me. 'Make my last one something everyone will remember.' Zeus paused. Setting everything down everything, he wrapped his arms around me.

'No,' he whispered softly yet firmly, 'I'll make sure you live to see all this fixed.' Tears pricked my eyes. With my head still spinning from the previous night, I felt tired and helpless and so very little. I choked out sobs in the safety of Zeus' arms. He held me for as long I needed, waving the prep team away. They all filed out as I pulled away wiping my face.

'Please make sure my family has enough after I'm gone. And I hope you find someone better to style,' I said. I suddenly noticed that Zeus had a wetness on his face. He was crying. Zeus never cried. Just the sight of his tears brought more from me. We both sat there, crying for a while.

'Of course, I'll make sure your family is safe. That's the least I owe to the soldiers like you who are doing every they can to make the world a better place,' he replied. 'And I'd never find anyone better than you even if I tried.' He doesn't bother telling me that I wouldn't die or that I had a chance of making it out alive. We both knew that only death awaited me in the arena.

Then he grabbed the bundles of cloth that had been discarded on the floor.

'You're right,' he said, 'this one has to be the one no one will ever forget.' I giggled a little through the tears. He called everyone back in and they got straight to work.

* * *

'Just be yourself,' Zeus told me as I nervously fiddled behind the curtains.

'That's horrible advice,' I mumbled. 'Right now, being myself would mean saying things the Capitol would likely never forgive. I still want sponsors, Zeus.' He rolled his eyes and offered a smile.

'I mean, you don't have to lose sponsors over what you say. Coral, darling, you have an empowering aura about you that attracts others. For all these years, Snow has been trying to get you to shy away from the aura, so you never got to know yourself and use it against him. This time, I want you to go out there and show the whole world that you are not just another one of their shiny toys.' I nodded. The way he described me gave me hope. Zeus definitely helped with my confidence with the outfit I was wearing. I wasn't wearing a dress in official Capitol airings like I always did.

Zeus had put together an exquisite outfit for me that I never knew I would love. I was in a plain sailor's blouse, the lace was undone at the front to reveal a shimmering green-blue cloth underneath. I couldn't quite tell which colour it was because it shifted every time the light hit it. My leather jeans looked ordinary until you noticed the grooving on it. It looked like scales climbing up my legs. Ever since I had earned the title "The Siren" I was ashamed of every time I heard it. It only reminded of everything I had done to receive such a name.

But now, the Capitol couldn't use it against me because I could finally embrace it. I wasn't the alluringly beautiful Siren the Capitol had tried to mould me into; I was a dark, beguiling one that would destroy the whole damned place for everything they had done. My hair was let loose, hanging around my chin in waves. For the first time since stepping into the Capitol, I looked like someone from home.

Finnick walked up beside me and I noticed his outfit was paired with mine. His clothes didn't have the intricate details mine did and were instead a little looser and more… open. Of course, always appealing to his charm.

'Thank you for helping me out when I was… a little out of it,' I said without looking in his direction.

'No problem,' he replied, and that was that. I watched as everyone went up one stage, one by one. Soon, it was my turn. Before I went up, Finnick gave me a reassuring nod and I returned it with a silent "thank you". I hated going up on stage. I hated seeing all the horrid faces applaud for me because of what I had done in that arena eight years ago. It was sickening.

At least Caesar helped. He always kept the conversation going long enough to give me the chance to breathe. This time, like always, he never failed to deliver.

'Oh my,' Caesar exclaimed as I stepped up on stage, 'I see a change of wardrobe!' I giggled shyly by instinct, immediately reprimanding myself mentally. I wasn't a giggling schoolgirl anymore. I despised my natural reflex of reverting back to the fake persona I had made up for the Capitol whenever I was in front of them. I steeled myself as I took a seat, consciously reminding myself to be Coral Reeves and no one else.

'I feel like I want to show a new side of myself before I went into the Games,' I replied. Caesar gave me an appraising look and a thumbs up.

'I _absolutely love it_!' he exclaimed, earning a round of applause from the audience. 'But why this side of you, Coral?' I took a deep breath. This was it.

'Because the shy and sweet side of me wasn't… me. Ever since the Games, I've changed but I've never gotten to express myself as I am. So, before I go in this time, I want the whole world to know that I am Coral Reeves, a fighter and a survivor.'

* * *

**HI guysss!**

**Sorry for going MIA on everyone, but it's exam time again and school kinda hit like a brick. **

**The updates are gonna be hella irregular now, but I'll try my best to keep It going. **

**SORRY.**

**LUV YALL,**

**\- Lea Valdez**


	16. Announcement

**Hi beloved readers! I am not ded! I'm just hella tired and desperately trying to catch up on hw and study for tests. It's exam season (and also corona season - so stay safe kids, sanitise regularly and take all necessary precautions), so I'm kinda busy. Also, I'm a little sick.**

**Anyway, I wanted to let everyone that I have no intention of giving up on this FF. I will just be taking a "short" break. See how the short is in quotation marks? Yeh, by short, I mean around a month. SO SORRY. I'll be back around mid-April.  
AGAIN, I apologise for the inconvenience, but I luv yall~**

**\- Lea Valdez**


	17. Chapter Fourteen

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**sacrifice || fourteen **

There was a stilted silence in the crowd before applause broke out. Caesar took that as a sign to encourage my confidence. But despite the claps and the cheers, I could hear a certain tension behind it all. _The little mermaid girl had snapped._

'My, I am absolutely thrilled to watch this new Coral!' Caesar said. I gave him a polite smile. I just wished it was over. The knotting in my stomach wasn't helping either.

'Tell us, Coral, what do you look forward to most?' Caesar asked excitedly. The enthusiastic look on his face made the question all the more vile. I held back a grimace and just smiled.

'Oh, you know, utter destruction,' I replied. This time, even the cheers and applaud couldn't hide the tension in the room. Coughing awkwardly, Caesar asked a few more, harmless questions before I stepped off the stage and joined the other on the podium. Finnick nodded solemnly before he stepped up. The dazzling smile he pasted on seemed so natural that if I hadn't seen the pain behind it, I would have believed it was real.

As Finnick did his interview, I zoned out, catching only bits and pieces of his conversation. It seemed as if he had recited a love letter to the Capitol and not Annie by the way the crowd cooed. _Ever the charmer_. The seconds slipped by as I returned to the space in my head, already having seen all the people beside me pretend over and over again in the past. But as soon as the Girl on Fire was on stage, my attention was wholly centered around her. I wanted to see more of the fiery girl, and how she so boldly defied the Capitol.

To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement. Katniss was a savage in the arena, but she couldn't even hold a running conversation on stage. Maybe it was her "charm" of sorts, but the startled look on her face was much too authentic. I watched her poor attempts at conversing with Caesar when finally, something caught my interest. Katniss stood up and spun around, her dress going up in flames, but the real shock came when it revealed a black bird.

_A mockingjay. _Our_ Mockingjay. _As we all clapped, my eyes flickered in Cinna's direction. Even though the talented artist was staring at Katniss, I couldn't help but smile at him. Every effort counted and Cinna was doing everything in his power. Once Katniss sat back down, I offered her a sympathetic smile. I could practically feel the awkwardness rolling off her. She only returned a vague expression before taking her seat.

There was only one interview left, thank the heavens. _Bread Boy's up_, I thought to myself. The boring one in the arena, however, the absolute entertainer on stage. Even the way he stepped up sent a charge of energy through the room. Everyone adored him and his wits. The usual conversation began with bouts of laughter and all was going well when the topic of the Star-Crossed Lover's marriage came up. Peeta's tone turned sour and he muttered his words. It was so unlike his stage personality that every single citizen of the Capitol and possibly the Districts hung onto his every word.

'I'm not glad,' said Peeta, replying to a question about their hastened marriage.

'I wish we had waited until the whole thing was done officially.' That took even Caesar aback.

'Surely even a brief time is better than no time?'

'Maybe I'd think that, too, Caesar,' said Peeta bitterly, 'if it weren't for the baby.'

I didn't know what to think for a while, the words still processing in my head. I stared wide-eyed at the boy, wondering about everything and nothing at the same time. _What is this sick twist of fate?_

I turned to look at the Girl on Fire, but she looked completely drowned. With the smoky tears falling from her eyes and the deer-caught-in-headlights look on her face, she couldn't have seemed in a worse condition if she tried. The outbreak in the crowd was glorious, with the very people who enjoyed the Games screaming for it to be canceled.

But all of that didn't matter. All I could think of was "_baby_". A little human. Too pure for the world. Too innocent for the Games. Too small for reality. Katniss's child, nonetheless. The poor baby would be thrown into the politics of the Games before it could even speak. I looked to her stomach and for a moment, I saw Caspian. He would always remain a child in my eyes. Losing someone like him would ruin whatever Katniss had left.

In that moment, I didn't care whether I knew Katniss well or not. The emotions that stirred inside of me weren't provoked simply by sympathy for the girl beside me. No, it was for all the children, born and unborn. If this rebellion weren't to take place, our children would have to suffer, and so would their children and their children after that. And all of them would wonder when someone would come to save them. _This_ rebellion needed to be the one to save everyone from the cruel hands of the Capitol.

So, as the Victors joined our hands and raised them high above our heads, I felt something break down inside of me. A fundamental doubt and fear crumbled in the face of the riot in front of us. This was it. The start of an uprising that would go down in history.

* * *

**Ok. I swear I can explain.**

**... my laptop died and it's been in repair for ALL OF THE QUARANTINE and the only other vague resemblance of technology in my household is a fossil of a desktop that I barely managed to operate. I got my laptop back yesterday and wrote this chapter up as quickly as possible (as you can probably tell, tbh, I forgot a few details, but I'm trying to get back on track as quickly as possible). **

**But despite all of this, I know there is no excuse for going COMPLETELY MIA. I apologise deeply to my readers and will try my best to prevent these situations in the future. **

**Hopefully, the next update will be up next Sunday. **

**Again, sorry for the delay.**

**Yours,**

**Lea Valdez**


	18. Chapter Fifteen

✧ﾟ･: *✧ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Sacrifice || Fifteen **

Hands grabbed at me and I was pulled away from the chaos.

'We need to get home before they devour us,' muttered a voice beside me. Without even looking, I knew who it was, letting his grip pull me backstage.

'Ms. Reeves, Mr. Odair, follow me,' one of the security officers instructed. I nodded, zigzagging through the disarray with Finnick in tow. As soon as we were in the safety of our vans, I sighed. Even through all the chaos going on around me, I felt so… empty. There was no other way to describe it. It was a depressing sort of emptiness. The type when you accept your hopelessness. I wished I could see my family one more time before I was slaughtered in an arena.

The rebellion seemed so surreal; such a far-fetched idea that my mind had sooner accepted death in that nightmare of an arena than escape. I looked over to Finnick, his eyes were glued to the window. I could see a life in his eyes that I thought had been eaten away by the games. The light grew brighter with every passing moment as the riot outside grew louder.

'You're happy,' I stated absentmindedly. He turned to face me at my abrupt words, wiping the faint smile off his face.

'What? Oh, yeah,' he mumbled. He glanced at the window before looking back at me. 'There's not much left to live for. I guess watching this spark of rebellion gives me hope for future generations.' Something in my chest softened at his words. As charming, peacock-like, and uncaring as he acted, he was truly a thoughtful person. And that was what made hating him all the harder.

The car ride was long and silent. I knew that it would be the last time seeing him before the Games. It was odd to see the person who had mentored me through my own Games to be pitted against me in another. I think it was the wistful feeling in my stomach that drove me to angle my body toward him and say the next few words.

'Finnick, listen, I know I won't make it out alive. Plutarch made it very clear that he only cares about Katniss. I'll try my best to get Peeta out alive and you better too. I don't care what happens in that arena, but what happens as soon as you're out, affects everyone including my family. So, don't mess it up,' I told him. He stared at my face for a while.

'Okay,' he replied simply. I hesitated momentarily before continuing.

'And… and I also wanted you to know that even though you did what you did, I trust you. I still trust you, so please, _please_, keep it this time. Please get my family to safety. Please.' He looked away at my words. Not saying anything. An itching desperation bloomed in me.

'Finnick! Answer me. Please, you have to,' I cried, tears pricking my eyes. They were sudden, but then, they weren't. They were the tears I had to hold back when I realised that I had to be put in a fight to the death with people I loved, the tears that I held back when I left without saying goodbye, the tears when I realised there was no way I would be able to see my family again.

'Dammit, Coral,' Finnick roared suddenly. 'Don't do that. Don't give up.' I was taken aback by his shouting, the tears on my cheeks flowing without any sign of stopping.

'Please,' he added softly, 'don't do that. Let's pretend, just for a moment that it's going to be alright.' I nodded, hanging my head, a river falling from my eyes. Finnick pulled me close, my head resting against his chest and I let him. The shaking I felt reverberating in his chest told me that he too was sobbing. So, we stayed like that, in each other's arms. With nothing and everything travelling through our heads.

That night, I laid awake in bed for hours. Until the moon was at its peak. The merciful hands of sleep never grabbed me. Finally, I heard a knock, that dreadful knock. It was still dark outside, and I had no idea what time it was. However, the Avox that I expected to be behind my door wasn't there. Instead, a messy-haired Finnick stood in their place. He looked up the moment I opened the door, allowing me to see his red-rimmed eyes.

'I couldn't sleep,' he murmured. I looked at him sadly, stepping out of my room.

'Let's go,' I whispered, grabbing his hand. With his warm, wet, tear-stained grip in mine, we walked up to the roof. The fresh air was liberating. And so, much like that night we stood together in the water, we talked about all the things that could've been and could be in complete silence.

At some point, I shuffled to sit beside him. Leaning my head against his shoulder with my arms wrapped around my legs, I felt as if for one, still moment I was floating in a fairy-tale.

'Hey, Finnick?' I asked, voice rough from disuse. He hummed in reply. 'I wanted you to know that I don't hate you. I never did. I hated everything you did, but I never hated _you_. I could never bring myself to that… and I also couldn't die without letting you know.' I didn't dare look up to his face, instead, I watched as the first rays of dawn illuminated the dark sky. After a few moments of silence, he coughed, readying his own gruff voice.

'I know,' he said simply. Something in my chest seemed to lift. A weight that I had been carrying with me ever since that day.

'Okay.'

We returned to our rooms after that. It wasn't long after when the actual dreaded knock came. I was briskly escorted to the prep rooms under the arena. There, Zeus met me with a tentative smile.

'Oh, darling, I just- I can't… I can't send you off. Not again,' he cried, holding my hands. 'Please, Coral, try to stay alive. If not for you, for your family, for _me_.' I nodded, but we both knew that I didn't mean it. He handed me the uniform, and as soon as I felt it, a sudden spark travelled through me, breathing a moment of life into me.

'It's waterproof,' I mumbled. Zeus nodded, patting my back and giving one final kiss on the cheek.

'I stepped into the cylindrical tube that would lift me into the arena. Just as it closed, Zeus grabbed my hand.

'I love you, darling,' he whispered. 'So please come back.' His words caused tears to prick my eyes but I held them back. I wouldn't let the Capitol see my weakness. Closing my eyes to stop the nausea rousing in my stomach as I the top opened up and I was elevated into the arena, I took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes, for a second, all I could think was _home_. A stretch of water surrounded me and I was back at the fishing docks. But it couldn't be. Looking around, I realised all the other Victors were placed in a semicircle in the water, centered around the Cornucopia.

A sudden hopefulness sprouted in my chest, and no matter what I did to push it down, only one thought passed my mind: _this is exactly the place for The Siren_.

* * *

**Hiiiii. Here is the chapter as promised… a day late (sowwy.). **

**Hope you enjoyed it! It was a very emotional chapter to write and as you can see, I suck at emotion. Anyway, it would be great to get some constructive criticism (if you think the "feelings" are overdone, please tell me coz I'm positive that they are).**

**Luv y'all**

**\- Lea Valdez**


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